South Africa head coach Mark Boucher on Sunday said that Quinton de Kock's retirement came as a shock for them but the team and support staff respect his decision.
De Kock, who was captain of the team at the start of 2021, announced his retirement shortly after the end of the first Test against India, citing his intentions to spend more time with his growing family.
While the Proteas' coach knew that De Kock wouldn't be available for the second and third Test due to the birth of his first child, he didn't expect the first match to be the wicketkeeper-batsman's last game in whites for South Africa.
"You do not expect anyone of his calibre to retire at that age. It came as a shock. But we fully respect his reasons," Boucher is quoted as saying by news24.com.
The 45-year old Boucher said the Proteas have no option to dwell on De Kock's decision but must instead focus on the second Test against India which gets underway at the Wanderers on Monday.
"It's sad, but we'll have to keep going. We're in the middle of a series and we cannot wonder about it for too long. We need to focus on the guys who come in his place and hopefully, they can do something similar to what Quinny offered us. He had a fantastic Test career," the coach said.
Kyle Verreynne, the 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman is likely to be handed the gloves for the second Test against India.
Boucher believes that Verreynne, who has been on numerous tours with the national team during 2021, is ready for the challenge.
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"He (Verreynne) waited his turn and honed his game. We have been working closely with him lately. It's not that he is new to the system. He's been around the guys for a while. So he will quietly have confidence in his game and he will be able to move in seamlessly," he said